Code Z
by NCIS Obsession
Summary: Almost 9 months after Tony leaves Ziva in Israel, McGee and Bishop answer Tony's desk phone to a surprise caller, a very distressed and fearful Ziva. Can Tony make it in time to witness one of the most important moments in his life? What SHOULD have happened during season 12 of NCIS.


**I've had a draft of this on my computer for over a year, and only after some inspiration on Tumblr have I had the motivation to grit my teeth and fix it up for posting. It had a LOT of fixing, but I'm finally happy with what I have written, so I am proud to present: Code Z. Please enjoy! (Special thanks to ttiva and wanna-be-bold on Tumblr for encouraging me to post this)**

 _6:04 a.m. – Tel Aviv, Israel – November 21, 2013_

It had been a week and a half and she still hadn't figured out what she was going to do. Never in a million years had she imagined that she would be in this situation—not her.

Ziva David was pregnant.

Did she want a child?

Yes.

Did she get the feeling that everything—every moment she had known him, every argument they'd had, every heartache—had led up to this moment?

Oh yeah.

But did she deserve this? Was she worthy of such a gift?

That was the question.

And her mind was telling her no.

She wasn't fit to be a mother. Growing up, the examples she had of parents were a lying, cheating father and a mother that was gone way too soon. Her brother Ari was laying six feet under thanks to her, and her sister—oh, her sister—never had the chance to live the life she deserved. The David family line had an awful track record of family relations.

Looking in the mirror now, she splashed cool water on her face. Her thick, brown curls stuck to her wet skin and her eyes were red and puffy. She was a mess. Every time she looked at her reflection she remembered why she chose to leave the United States in the first place: She hated herself. She hated who her father had turned her into. She hated all the terrible things that she had done to people and to the ones that loved them. And she hated herself for starting to feel happiness of her own. How could she let herself enjoy a life of ease—great friends, a solid job, and a… Tony—when people out there were suffering and crying all because of her. She couldn't.

So she left. And every time she looked in the mirror, she was reminded that she could never go back. She doesn't deserve happiness. And, she decides, that also means she doesn't deserve Tony.

She makes herself believe that he's better off far, far away from her. That any contact could pull him down with her to the dark place where her heart now lives. Then things changed.

Despite her hatred for herself and the happiness that she was once so close to, Ziva's life started looking up when she found that she was pregnant. She had her reservations about becoming excited for the coming arrival of her child, but she let herself go anyways. The doctor she visited warned her against putting too much stress on her growing baby, and she took his advice to heart. With some work and countless tear-filled nights, Ziva was healing. Sometimes, a look in the mirror would show her a glimpse of the mother she was already becoming rather than the terrible person she imagined herself to be, and that was a step in the right direction.

With a towel wiping the dripping water from her face, Ziva stepped out of the bathroom and into the living room of her farmhouse just outside of Tel Aviv. She glanced at the telephone sitting on the table in front of her. Not for the first time, she wondered if she should call Tony. Every time she had told herself she would, she came up with another reason not to.

After a lot of heartbreaking consideration, she decided it would be best to leave him out of it. It pained her to do it, but she couldn't allow herself to screw up yet another person's life. She had been gone just under 2 months; it would be weak of her to crawl back to him already, she told herself. He didn't need to see her with her current state of mind any more than he already had. And besides, he would feel obligated to come to her, even if he didn't really want to.

The cons were far outweighing the pros. It was obvious what she had to do.

She had to do this… alone.

-.-.-

 _9:42 a.m. – Washington D.C. – June 7, 2014_

Today was just like any other day—in the life of U.S. Government Special Agents, that is. A case was about to be wrapped up. It had been a fairly easy one, and all that was left was to surprise the bad guy at his work and bring him in. The evidence was indisputable, and it looked—to the members of the NCIS Major Case Response Team—like they had a weekend off ahead of them.

Bishop and McGee had stayed in the bull pen to get a head start on their paper work. Even with the smallest of cases, there seemed to be a mountain of reports to write up. It was mundane work, but it meant they would be able to leave earlier in the day, so they weren't complaining too much.

They worked silently, only the sound of pencil scratches and typing filling the void. All of a sudden, Tony's desk phone started ringing.

McGee caught Bishop's eye. "Check who it is," he said in a secretive whisper, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Could be that girl he said he met last night."

Bishop got his message and rolled her chair back to allow herself some space. She winked pointedly at McGee before glancing down at the caller ID, expecting to see a Sarah something-or-other lighting up the small screen.

"No name," she said curiously, "But it's definitely not an American number." With her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, she picked up the phone and held it to her ear, eyes still locked on McGee who was also intrigued. "NCIS, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo's desk, Agent Bishop speaking; how may I help you?"

There was a shaky breath on the other end of the line. _"I need to talk to Tony,"_ came a woman's voice in an urgent tone.

Ellie's eyes widened and she covered the transmitter with her hand, moving the phone away from her head.

"What is it?" McGee asked, slightly concerned by her shocked expression.

Bishop wasn't exactly sure what to do. "I—I think we might have a Code Z," she said in a hushed voice.

McGee stood up so quickly that he slammed his knee into the bottom of his desk, but he shook it off and got over to Bishop, who was hovering over Tony's desk. He started to grab for the phone, but Bishop twisted around so she could speak once more to the caller before handing it over to her superior. "PLEASE HOLD FOR SPECIAL AGENT TIMOTHY MCGEE!" she all but shouted into the phone as it was being pulled away from her by a slightly frantic McGee. He certainly hadn't been expecting this today.

"McGee?" Ziva yelled into the phone.

Tim pulled the phone away and looked at it like it couldn't possibly be real, and then brought it back to his ear, shock and confusion playing on his face. The way Tony made it sound, Ziva was done with them for good, but apparently not.

"Ziva!?" He called back, incredulously requesting a verification of the caller's identity.

"Yes, McGee." Ziva said between clenched teeth. She sounded winded and in pain, but Tim didn't have time to ask questions. Ziva had some of her own. "Where is Tony!?" she asked impatiently, drawing in a long, deliberate breath and then letting it out through her mouth.

"Out with Gibbs picking up our main suspect," he replied, unsure of what the big rush was. "You okay?" he asked. Bishop was desperately trying to get McGee's attention, and once she succeeded she mouthed the words, _"is it her?"_ to him. He nodded and continued listening to Ziva on the other end. Bishop fumbled for her own phone and dialed the number for Abby's lab as quickly as she could.

"Code Z," she told her with conviction. Abby promised to be up as soon as possible and ended the call with a click.

Meanwhile, McGee was trying to understand Ziva with her thick Israeli accent and her heavy breathing. Every so often she paused and McGee wasn't sure if she'd hung up, but she'd come back on, ever more ferociously insisting that Tony hurry and get to her ASAP. She said it was an emergency but she didn't say anything more.

As soon as she hung up McGee and Bishop sprang into action.

"Bishop—" he began, only to be interrupted by her.

"Already booking a flight to Tel Aviv," she assured.

McGee nodded, grabbing his backpack from his own desk. "And I… will go to Tony's apartment and pack his bags."

As the doors to the elevator opened, Abby stepped out. "Code Z? Is it really a code Z?" she asked in her usual energetic voice.

"Yep. She just called."

"What was it about?" she questioned, pressing him for more information.

McGee shook his head. "She didn't say. Just that it was an emergency." He stopped, unsure of what to say about Ziva's tone of voice during the phone call.

Abby could tell there was something he was leaving out. "Anything else?" she asked, shooting him a knowing glare.

"Abs, I don't want to worry you."

"Tell me," Abby said, resilient in her decision.

McGee put his hand on Abby's shoulder. "I don't know for sure, but she sounded like she was in trouble, or hurt. I just don't know. Could you give Tony a ride to the airport as soon as he gets back? I'll bring his bags."

"Of course."

McGee started walking toward the elevator, only to be stopped by Abby, who tossed a gold necklace his direction. "Don't forget her necklace."

"How did you-?" Tim began to ask.

Abby rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you haven't snooped in his desk before, Timothy McGee."

-.-.-

"Want me to interrogate him, boss? I've been aching to crack some bad guys lately." Tony and Gibbs had just returned, suspect in tow.

McGee and Abby ran up to the senior field agent as soon as they spotted him. Thrusting a suitcase and carry-on into Tony's arms, they swiftly turned him around back toward the elevator. "You're coming with me," Abby said, loading her friend into the elevator. McGee stayed behind, offering Tony a hopeful smile.

"Where are we going?" Tony asked the forensic scientist as she dragged him into the parking lot and to her car.

" _You're_ going to the airport," Abby answered, starting the engine and pulling out of the Naval Base at impressive speeds.

"Why?"

Abby sighed. It was a known fact that anyone who so much as mentions Ziva's name ever since she left gets chewed out by Tony. It had been a sensitive subject, sometimes even causing the senior field agent to lock himself in the men's restroom and—Abby suspected—cry.

"McGee answered your phone while you were out with Gibbs. It was Ziva."

Tony's heart skipped a beat. Had Ziva invited him back? Is that why he was going to the airport?

"But, Tony," Abby said, interrupting his thoughts. "There's something else…" His momentary joy and excitement came to an abrupt stop. The way Abby said it… maybe this wasn't a happy trip after all. "Ziva," Abby said carefully, "she sounded like she was hurt, like she couldn't breathe. We don't know what happened, but she asked for you."

Tony hurriedly fumbled for his cell phone, dialing Ziva's number as quick as he could. She didn't pick up. He tried again; still no answer.

When they finally made it to the airport, Abby wished Tony luck and told him to call her as soon as he made sure Ziva was okay.

After running to his gate and boarding the plane, Tony found himself thousands of feet in the air and unable to believe that, for better or for worse, he was going to see Ziva soon. The woman he loved. Loves.

Glancing out the small window, his mind was filled with thoughts of Ziva in pain, or worse: dying. As hard as he tried, he couldn't think of anything else but her beautiful face, cut and bruised as it had been in Somalia. Sleep did not come for the entire duration of the flight.

-.-.-

Even though no one had told him where he might find Ziva, Tony felt in the pit of his stomach that she would be at the farmhouse. He quickly called a cab and told the driver to take him there as fast as possible.

He paid the cab driver generously, handing him a wad of cash that he had left over from his last trip to Tel Aviv, and ran quickly to the front door. He knocked, impatiently waiting for her to open the door. He couldn't believe he was really there. It didn't seem to have changed much since the last time he had come, but this time he felt different. He was terrified. Ziva could be hurt, or in danger, or even dead! What was he going to say? What was he going to do when he finally did see her?

He wanted her to be okay—needed her to be okay. He needed to see her, to touch her beautiful curly hair again, to kiss her soft, sweet lips at least one last time.

He waited for a moment, but no one answered. Fearing the worst, he pounded even harder on the door. "ZIVA?" he shouted, a lump forming in his throat.

After a gut-wrenching silence, Tony heard a strangled cry from within. "TONY?" the voice called back. It was unmistakably Ziva's voice, although it sounded weaker.

Tony felt his stomach churn at the sound of her voice. She was there, alive. It felt amazing to hear her again, even if she was still in trouble. "It's me, Ziva, I'm here."

"Tony, I can't come to the door," Ziva said right away, with a fearful sob lacing her words, "Break it open if you can."

Tony didn't even hesitate, he was so worried about what could have happened to Ziva. He needed to get to her right away. Focusing his features on the task at hand, he took a few steps back and shoved himself forward, slamming his shoulder and side into the door and busting it wide open.

"Ziva?" Tony yelled, his heart racing as he frantically scanned the house. He sprinted through the door, dropping his bags in the hall on the way. There wasn't time to worry about them, he could hear the anguish of his love, his soulmate, from somewhere nearby. He knew he shouldn't have let her go. He should have been there to protect her from whatever had caused her this pain.

"I am in here, Tony, hurry," Ziva's voice answered from somewhere to his right. Tony heard a scream of pain and picked up the pace, rounding the corner into her bedroom where she was sitting on the floor, only her head visible behind the bed.

She looked fine, no bruises or cuts like he had expected to see, but there was an expression of agony on her face that made Tony's heart feel like it had shattered into a billion pieces. Her hair was hanging wildly over her shoulders, and beads of sweat trailed down her forehead.

She was leaning heavily against the wall, tears in her eyes as she watched Tony enter the room. He could see the relief wash over her as her eyes met his.

He paused momentarily in the doorway, overcome with emotions upon seeing the woman he loves after a long 8 and a half months away. All of a sudden, there she was, not a distant memory, but a tangible person, mere feet away from him. Tears streamed down Ziva's face, in such a way that Tony had never seen. Not only did she seem to be in pain, she looked absolutely terrified.

"There is much that I should tell you before you see me, Tony, but there is no time," she said, reaching out to him but stopping suddenly as she doubled over in pain. Her distress caused Tony to jump into action, rushing to her side. Her hands fumbled for Tony, grasping at his shirt in search of a hand to hold.

"Ziva, what's wrong?" Tony asked with urgency, checking Ziva's eyes which were red and seemed distant.

Ziva turned to look at Tony, her bottom lip quivering. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Before Tony could ask what she meant, she jostled the quilt that had been covering her, drawing his eyes downward toward her swollen belly. She, too, looked down, partly in shame and partly because she couldn't bear to look at Tony's reaction.

Tony, feeling shocked, unprepared, and most of all, panicked, gripped her smaller hand firmly with his muscular one. She squeezed. Hard.

Tony looked at her stomach, then at her tear-streaked face, and then back at her stomach, disbelief written on his face. In the midst of his confusion and shock, he never once stopped worrying about Ziva. Before saying a word, Tony hastily placed a hand on Ziva's cheek, brushing a bit of hair away with his thumb. He drew her eyes to his own, meeting her gaze with such intensity like she had never seen from him. His eyes were wide with confusion, concern, hurt, and fear, yet he exerted so much seriousness and focus that she couldn't help but feel a bit more calm in his presence.

"You're pregnant," he stated, his face like stone. It was not a question. He had no doubt in his mind that this child was his. After a moment's pause, she nodded, breaking eye contact with Tony. "Are you okay?" he asked softly, his voice breaking and tears pooling in his eyes.

Ziva bit her lip and felt more tears stream from her eyes. The pain was becoming unbearable. She shook her head. "I am in labor." Finally, Ziva's hold on him softened a little and she took in a few deep breaths. "A contraction," she informed Tony, who shook his head in disbelief, rubbing a hand over his tired face. "I know you must have a lot of questions," Ziva added, finding it in herself to initiate eye contact with Tony for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Not now," Tony interrupted. "I don't need to know everything now." He brushed a strand of hair out of her face, which was burning hot. A quick glance around the room showed him that very little had changed since he had left, but a pale yellow bassinet sat empty in the corner and a few picture frames adorned the wooden dresser. "This is happening right now, isn't it?" Tony said, still having a hard time believing what he was seeing. "You're having a baby?"

"Our baby, Tony," Ziva corrected. Tony could see the apology in her eyes, she didn't have to say it out loud. He was here now, that was all that mattered in that moment.

"But it's only been—"

"Eight and a half months, I know," Ziva finished, drawing in a deep breath as another wave of contractions approached. "I knew I would have trouble carrying a baby to full-term because of—" The word 'Somalia' hung in the air as Ziva squeezed her eyes shut. "The baby is coming, Tony. Now."

Panic started to take over Tony's brain. Most fathers had 9 months to prepare to be a parent; he had the span of a few minutes. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his gaze on Ziva, trying his best to focus up for the time being. Panicking wouldn't help anyone.

Ziva cried out suddenly, screwing up her face again in pain and clenching her fists so tight that her knuckles turned white. "Tony…help," she choked out, reaching a shaking hand toward his and squeezing it tightly. Her face was screwed up again in pain.

"Ziva," Tony called, hurrying closer to her side and placing his arm firmly around her and, almost by instinct, beginning to rub circles on the small of her back with his free hand. Shaking slightly, Ziva reached out and Tony grasped her hand, allowing her to squeeze it as hard and as much as she needed to. He just wanted to be there for Ziva; to be the support she needed most right now. Even though she had taken him completely by surprise, he knew exactly what needed to be done. His younger, more juvenile self would have been completely hopeless if he were caught in this situation, but this was different. One of his biggest fears as the playboy character he had once been was to have an ex-girlfriend tell him he was going to be a father. But now, amidst the chaos and fear, there was an underlying sense of intense joy. He had grown up, especially in the 8½ months he had been without Ziva, and had even found himself longing for a family. Of course, he didn't ever think that would be a possibility if Ziva was out of the picture. He had known for a while now that she would be the only woman he would ever truly love.

At last, her grip loosened, and her head fell back to rest on his shoulder. "I have been in labor for 15 hours," she said with heavy breathing.

"I got here as fast as I could," Tony said apologetically.

Ziva gently patted his chest with a faint smile. "I know you did."

Tony looked down at Ziva in confusion. "Why aren't you in a hospital? You could have called someone else, someone that could have been here quicker to help you."

"There is no one here that I can trust. Recent months have been a bit…difficult," Ziva trailed off, gazing at the wall, deep in thought. "There are people after me, Tony. I needed to lay low. I cannot go to the hospital," she felt a stab of pain in her abdomen, "I cannot contact anyone from Mossad…"

"What about Shmeil?" Tony asked.

Ziva looked Tony in the eyes, her own filled with a deep loss. "He is dead, Tony."

Fearing the worst, Tony continued. "Your aunt?"

"Her, as well."

Tony closed his eyes as he felt his heart break again. Even on her quest to find healing, Ziva could not escape the loss of the ones she loved.

"They were after the people I care about. I could not lose you too, Tony. I do not think I could bear it. That is why I did not call you or tell you about…this," she said, gesturing to her bump.

Tony gazed into Ziva's chocolatey brown eyes, which were shining with tears of pain. The way he looked at her showed just how deeply he loved her and how worried he was for her. He hated to see her this way. The pain seemed unbearable.

"How much longer?" Tony asked, trying his best to seem like he knew what he was doing.

Ziva groaned again, grabbing a fistful of Tony's shirt and pulling him to her. She leaned her sweat-covered forehead on his shoulder and he reached down nervously, laying his hand on her baby bump for the first time ever. This was real, not just some crazy, sleep-deprived-from-working-on-a-case dream. No matter how much he tried, his brain would not fully process that information.

The baby within Ziva moved ferociously. Clearly it wanted out too. "Can't be much longer," Ziva managed to say before again being attacked by another contraction

"We need to get you somewhere more comfortable," Tony said with authority, watching Ziva's every miniscule movement with complete and utter concern. Ziva nodded through her pain and Tony helped her to stand, slowly working their way to the bed. As they moved, Tony marveled at her figure, completely blown away by her protruding midsection. How had this happened? How was he supposed to handle this situation?

"We need towels," Ziva said, breathing heavily and trying to calm herself down.

Tony hurried away and came back with all the supplies he would need to help deliver his own child. With such short notice, Tony counted himself lucky that he had taken a child delivery certification class through NCIS once many years ago, though he had never expected to use these skills to deliver the child of himself and the indescribably beautiful Israeli he had fallen in love with.

Everything was happening so fast. In the span of a few minutes, which passed like a blur in Tony's eyes, he had prepped Ziva's bed for the delivery of their baby boy or girl, ensuring her proper back support and making a more comfortable environment with the abundance of pillows. With every move, the former NCIS agent winced in pain, steamy tears dripping from her face.

"I love you, Ziva," Tony blurted, tears falling from his own eyes as the gravity of the situation caught up with him. His hands cupped her gorgeous face, ensuring that his message was received loud and clear. He loved her, and he needed her to know it before they welcomed a tiny human into the world.

The declaration came unexpectedly, but the onslaught of tears streaming from her eyes were a testament to what the revelation meant to her. Any fear of scaring Tony off, being left alone again, and raising a child as a single mother was pushed away. Even after 8 months, he was still fighting for her, and now they were fighting together for their child.

Already breathless, Ziva pulled Tony down to her and their lips crashed together in a hurried and desperate kiss. As they broke apart, Ziva let out a groan of pain and squeezed her eyes shut, bracing herself against Tony's shoulders which she clung to tightly. Her head rested in the crook of his neck, begging him to hold her.

"It's time, Tony."

Soon after, Ziva began to push, with Tony there to coach her through the pain as best as he could. It killed him to see her hurting like this, but he put on a brave face for her.

"I am scared," she said, running out of breath. "I thought I was going to have to do this alone."

Tony saw how afraid Ziva was. "It's okay, Zi, I'm here now. We'll get through this together. Come on, now, push."

Ziva followed his instructions and cried out in pain. "It hurts!"

"I know, I know. Ziva, listen to me, you're gonna be fine. We'll be fine," Tony said, trying to encourage her as he had before when she was his partner and she was injured.

As these words left his mouth, his mind wandered back to his last flight to Tel Aviv, the beginning of his search for Ziva. "Don't worry, Tony. We will be okay." The words had been uttered by Ziva, though she had been a figment of his imagination. The past 8 months had left him doubtful of the truth in her statement, but this—here, now—was where those words found their meaning. This was the start of a new chapter in their lives, and they really were going to be okay.

Tony glanced down at Ziva, whose hair stuck to her face as she pushed. Words of encouragement hung in the air as he became speechless, watching the miracle of life unfold before him, much more personal than he had ever thought possible. This was a child he and Ziva had created out of love for each other. When he had woken up the next morning, he thought it was the end, that they would be split apart, two halves of a whole separated for eternity. Fate had different things in store.

In reality, it was just the beginning. It created an opportunity for them to become closer than every before, the missing link that would hold them together against all obstacles. This baby was proof that there _was_ a happy ending for Ziva David and Anthony DiNozzo.

They would be parents. What that meant for _them_ was not yet certain, but what Tony did know was that he would always be there for his kid, unlike his father had been for him. If that meant quitting NCIS and permanently moving to Israel, then so be it. He should have never left in the first place.

Now, within minutes, Tony would be a father. He crouched beside Ziva, one arm around her, bracing her, and the other grasping one of her knees.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," Tony whispered, feeling his breath catch in his throat. All the regrets from 9 months before had come back at full force—and it turned out he was right. Leaving Ziva may have been the worst mistake of his life. "I should have stayed. I should have been here."

Ziva cried out, hot tears streaming from her eyes. "Hold me, Tony," was all she said before pushing again. Tony moved so that both of his arms were wrapped around Ziva, his face buried in her bushy brown hair.

His hold on her made her feel safe and secure as she labored through. "Ziva, I love you. I love you and I never should have let you go," Tony said with tears in his eyes.

Ziva cried out again. "I love you too, Tony."

His hand was becoming strained because of the pressure she was putting on it, but Tony couldn't find it in himself to care. What was happening was unbelievable. Right there, right in front of him, the most beautiful woman in the world, the one Tony loved more than anyone or anything else, was about to give birth to _his_ child. To _their_ child. It was incredible, and even though he had only known for less than 30 minutes that he was going to be a father, everything felt right in the world, something he hadn't felt since he had returned to the States without Ziva.

Tony placed a kiss on Ziva's cheek, releasing his hold on her in order to prepare to catch the baby. With one final push, their child was born. Ziva fell back onto the pile of pillows, and Tony stood, motionless, at the foot of the bed with the baby in his arms. Tony's mouth hung open in amazement at the sight before him.

A girl. A little person that he and Ziva had created. The product of their love for each other. The physical embodiment of everything they had been through together. She was beautiful.

Her cry filled the room. "Ziva!" Tony said, his voice shaking as tears streamed down his face. "Ziva, look! Look at her!"

Placing a steady hand on her back, Tony helped her up to see their baby girl. Ziva, too, had streaks of tears lining her cheeks. After cutting the cord, he placed the baby on Ziva's chest, taking a seat beside her on the bed and holding the little girl with a steady hand.

"She's perfect, Zi," Tony said. In that moment, he felt so overwhelmed, so happy, that the only thing he could think to do was kiss Ziva. He leaned forward and placed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply before pulling back to once again look at the little miracle that had just been born into the world.

"Hi, baby girl," Tony said, rubbing a calming hand on the baby's back and fixing her blanket.

"Tali," Ziva said, her voice raw from overuse. "Her name is Tali."

Tony smiled and placed a kiss on his baby's tiny head. "I love you, Tali."

-.-.-

Tony's phone rang and he was pulled from the dreamlike state he had been in. He and Ziva had talked things through. Both had a lot to apologize for. Ziva had been so scared when she went into labor and realized that she wouldn't have him by her side.

They told each other they love each other, and even started making plans for Ziva to move back to DC. It seemed everything would be okay after all.

Tony transferred the sleeping baby back into her Ima's arms and moved to the corner of the room to answer his phone.

"Hello?" he said quietly, so he wouldn't disturb little Tali, who slept in the yellow bassinet that had apparently been Shmeil's last gift to Ziva.

" _Tony?"_ came Abby's voice over the phone, _"Did you find Ziva?"_

Tony looked to the mother of his child, who nodded, telling him that it was okay to share the news.

"Yep," Tony said casually. "Both mom and baby are doing fine."

Abby let out a sigh of relief. _"Oh good. I was worried that something had—WAIT WHAT?!"_

Even Ziva could hear Abby's words from across the room, and she let out a chuckle.

"Get everyone else, I'm switching to video call," Tony instructed Abby as he made the necessary changes on his phone. He could hear Abby demanding Tony to explain himself as he moved to sit by Ziva and Tali. Soon enough, six faces were squeezed into the frame of the video call, and Tony made his move. First, he put the camera on himself and Ziva, making sure Tali was not yet visible.

" _ZIVA!"_

" _Thank God you're okay!"_

" _Wonderful to see you, my dear."_

" _You had us so worried."_

Everyone was speaking at once and Tony silenced them all by placing a finger in front of his lips. "Quiet, everyone, or you'll wake the baby."

"The _what?_ " Tony heard McGee say as if he hadn't heard correctly. Finally, Tony moved the camera to show Tali's adorable, sleeping face. Her rosy lips were scrunched together by her chubby cheeks, and her chest rose and fell with soft breaths escaping her mouth every few moments.

" _Oh my,"_ Ducky said, leaning closer to the screen for a closer look.

Gasps and squeals and demands to know more echoed out of the speaker phone.

"We'll tell you all more later," Tony said over the ruckus. "For now though," Tony placed a kiss on Ziva's cheek, dangerously close to her mouth," I'd like to spend some time alone with the future Mrs. DiNozzo and our daughter, Tali."

Gibbs cracked a half smile. He hadn't seen this coming, but he was happy all the same. _"Congratulations, Ziver. You too Tony."_

Chaos erupted on the other side of the phone call, but Tony's attention swiftly drifted away as he lost himself in the chocolate pools of Ziva's eyes, mirrored by their little girl, who was now gazing back up at him with a curious glint in her eye. This may not have been the way he expected to become a father, but for the happiness he was feeling right now, in this moment with his family, he wouldn't have it any other way.

 ***Sigh* Feels good to write Tiva again. I got a summer job, which I have offered to work at for** _ **way**_ **too many hours a week, but it's fine. I like it. Problem is, I have a lot less free time than I was hoping, and way too many ideas for Tiva fics.**

 **Thanks for reading! If you want to follow me on Tumblr, my URL is television-overload. 164 followers and counting! (um, what?) Send me fic requests, enjoy my obsessive posts about NCIS, what have you. I honestly created this Tumblr for myself to look at, so it blows my mind that other people also enjoy what I post.**

 **That will be all for this fic. Just a fun, sweet, one-shot. I really hope you all liked it. Please, please don't forget to leave a review and favorite. Reviews literally get me through the day.**

 **Have an amazing summer (or winter, if you're in the southern hemisphere), and hopefully I'll be back soon with more Tiva goodness.**

 **~NCIS Obsession**


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